On December 1, the City Council approved three remaining items needed for Mark Development’s project to proceed adjacent to the Riverside MBTA station. The project needed approval of a revised special permit and two zoning changes, and if these were not approved by the end the current City Council’s term on December 31, they would need to be refiled with the new City Council in January. (After this meeting, there was only one more regularly scheduled meeting for this City Council.)
The approval applies to the fourth iteration of this project – with ground-floor retail and 755 apartments that together will house 1,200 to 1,600 people. It is the result of a substantial redesign to respond to changes in the real estate market and concerns raised by residents of neighboring Lower Falls and Auburndale villages. The City Council’s review of this latest design – and the zoning changes to implement it – started in September in the Land Use Committee.
The previous design, prepared before the Covid pandemic, had featured a mix of commercial (including lab) space and residential space for 550 housing units. It received final approval from the City Council in 2021, but progress was held up by rising costs for construction and interest.
Mark Development announced this major revision in 2024, replacing planned commercial elements with residential space and replacing some community amenity space with retail space. The project would be built in two phases: Phase 1 would be all residential with about 545 units, and Phase 2 would be mixed-use and add about 200 housing units. Mark Development also filed requests last July for three parcels to be rezoned from business use to mixed use.
On November 18, the Land Use Committee approved the zoning changes and the special permit with some conditions. The plan as approved will include vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle improvements as well as a feasibility study for a sound wall. The developer will pay up to $500,000 for a two-way radio system for public safety, as requested by the Fire Department.
The project also includes payments to the City totaling $7 million for mitigation and off-site improvements, including sewer work and pedestrian trail amenities. Twenty percent of the housing units will be set available for two tiers of affordability, in a mix of studio, 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, and 3-bedroom apartments. A parking garage is also included, to meet the MBTA’s stated needs from the loss of about half of the current surface parking at Riverside.
Speaking in the City Council meeting, Councilor Randy Block (Ward 4, the site of the project) noted his long involvement and concerns about the project since plans were first presented to his neighborhood at a meeting of the Lower Falls Improvement Association in 2018. He noted how, over the years, the design has evolved from “1.5 million square feet, a hotel, two office buildings, and 675 residential units” to “897,000 square feet, no hotel, no office buildings, but over 750 housing units.” He said that the latest iteration “is not a perfect plan, but then there probably is no such thing” – and he would support it. He made the motions for each item, seconded by Councilor Lenny Gentile (also Ward 4).
The City Council approved the special permit and zoning changes almost unanimously. Councilor John Oliver (Ward 1) voted No on the special permit, consistent with his earlier statement that “at some point, properties like this are no longer going to exist in this city, and Newton doesn’t just need housing. We have to protect all of the interests of the city. It’s the only reason I can’t support this project.” Councilor Julia Malakie (Ward 3) voted No on the special permit and the zoning changes.
After the City Council meeting, Councilor Block told Fig City News: “One concern that many have had about Riverside is whether it would put too much of a strain on our school system. But the Williams School PTO became a strong advocate for Riverside. With enrollment down, Williams School can easily absorb the 70 elementary school students who will live at Riverside. One reason I voted for Riverside is to help ensure that Williams School remains a vibrant force in Auburndale.”
Councilor Gentile said to Fig City News: “With Riverside III not moving forward because the commercial rental market had evaporated, the Liaison Committee went back to work, meeting for over three years with Mark Development to see if there was a different plan that would work financially and was sensitive to the concerns of the residents of Auburndale and Newton Lower Falls. The plan approved Monday will provide 750 new housing units, a need we hear about daily, while eliminating the two office towers, which significantly reduces traffic — the single major concern of the Liaison Committee and the neighbors.”
The third Councilor from Ward 4, Josh Krintzman, told Fig City News after the meeting, “Although this is not exactly the project I would have drawn up, I am pleased to support this iteration of development at Riverside. This project includes more housing than any proposal before it and represents a far better use of that land than a parking lot. I am proud to have worked so hard on this project, for so many years, culminating in overwhelming, nearly unanimous, support from the City Council.”
Ed. Note: We updated this article to include a statement by Councilor Gentile.
